Description

Weber's opera "Euryanthe" was written in 1823 and contains much that anticipates Wagner, as well as being a masterpiece in its own right. It was intended as the crowning work in the career of this seminal figure in the German operatic tradition of the early 19th century. Yet through its defective libretto it has virtually disappeared from the modern repertoire, despite containing, in Wagner's words, Weber's "most beautiful, richest, and most masterful music". In this book, the author provides the first full-length study of "Euryanthe" ever made.show more

Table of contents

Part 1 Orientations: biographical overview; synopsis and structural overview; perspectives on "Euryanthe". Part 2 The libretto: the sources for the libretto; Weber's role in the revisions of the libretto - an assessment. Part 3 Musical issues and the compositional process: the "Euryanthe" composition draft; tonal planning; dramatic truth; form; three case studies in the compositional process.show more

Review quote

"It is gratifying that someone has at last come to the defense of poor Euryanthe and pleaded her case in a meticulous and sympathetic manner."--19th-Century Music"Tusa spells the issues out perceptively, and with a real understanding of the condition of German opera at the time as well as the forensic patience to go through the mass of detail which is available to researchers. All the detail of structure, of tonal strategy, of the orchestra's essential role, of compositional method follows from this perception, and setting these creative consequences out with clarity and imaginative sympathy, Dr. Tusa does not baulk at the most notorious of all the problems in Euryanthe, that of the text....Tusa faces up to these problems with unfailing common sense, and no special pleading whatever. These, as well as his scholarly skills, are qualities which give the book value not only as a critical demonstration of ideas which are still generally undervalued in Euryanthe, but as a critique of German opera as Wever found it."--Operashow more